If you want to go to Celtic Manor for the 38th Ryder Cup matches in September 2010 you will need to get your hands on one of those elusive tickets!

The tickets are sold through a ticket lottery by the PGA – so you cannot just go and buy one. Registration for the lottery is now open and you will need to register your interest – here (applications accepted till July 31st). The lottery draw itself will then take place in August 2009.

Be careful where you buy your tickets as the PGA are the only source of authorised tickets for PGA events and they protect against touts and scammers ruthlessly. They recently released the following ticket alert:

“Ticket Alert!
The PGA Ticketing Center is the exclusive agent for ticket sales to all PGA of America events. If you have purchased tickets from any other party, The PGA of America is not responsible and will not guarantee admittance to an event if you purchase tickets from unauthorized sources.
The purchaser acknowledges that tickets and badges will be for the exclusive use of the purchaser and guests. The purchaser acknowledges that any resale, redistribution or repackaging of tickets is expressly prohibited, inclusive of but not limited to including tickets in travel or hospitality packages. All sales are final.”

Naturally the other source of tickets are from the corporate sponsors and hospitality packages but you will pay over the odds for these. The upside is that they often include access to VIP areas and hospitality tents at the event where lots of wheeling and dealing is done.

A scam selling Counterfeit Ryder Cup Tickets worth over £10,000 was uncovered in court yesterday. A Welsh man sold fake tickets to unsuspecting golf fans on both sides of the Atlantic by using the online auction site Ebay. The judge imposed a custodial sentence of 9 months on the 22 year old scammer for obtaining money by deception. This conviction comes just a month after a very similar case of a 20 year old from Cwmbran who was also convicted of selling non-existent tickets for the Ryder Cup over eBay.

This highlights the dangers of buying Ryder Cup tickets online. The PGA lottery is the only legitimate source of tickets for the public and the PGA have issued warnings to that tickets are non transferable.

Anyone who wants to get a ticket must enter the lottery as there are only 40,000 available and demand will fat outstrip the supply. You can enter the lottery up to Sunday, September 30, 2007, 11 p.m. ET. The Draw will then take place in October 2007 and you will be notified in November 2007.
The application process is free to apply click here

The ticket options available are as follows:

The International Pavilion Ticket: $555* per ticket
This weekly ticket allows access to the grounds all six days of the Ryder Cup, as well as admission to the International Pavilion. The International Pavilion is a sports-themed, climate-controlled facility located on the grounds of Valhalla Golf Club. It will feature an abundance of television monitors, and an enjoyable selection of food and beverage options, available at an additional charge. Each International Pavilion Ticket holder will receive a copy of the official Ryder Cup Journal, as well as off-site parking and shuttle service to the event.

The Season Ticket: $435* per ticket
This weekly ticket allows access to the grounds all six days of the Ryder Cup. Each Season Ticket holder will receive a copy of the official Ryder Cup Journal, as well as off-site parking and shuttle service to the event.

Daily Grounds Tickets: Prices vary as indicated.
Daily Grounds Tickets are available for Tuesday ($40)*, Wednesday ($40)*, Thursday ($75)*, Friday ($90)*, Saturday ($90)* and Sunday ($100)*. Each Daily Grounds Ticket will allow its holder access to the Ryder Cup grounds on the day specified. Each Daily Grounds Ticket holder will be provided with off-site parking and shuttle service to the event

Daily Samuel Ryder Club Tickets: Prices vary as indicated.
Daily Samuel Ryder Club Tickets are available for Thursday ($800)*, Friday ($1600)*, Saturday ($1600)* and Sunday ($1800)*. Each Daily Samuel Ryder Club Ticket will allow access to the Ryder Cup grounds on the day specified, as well as admission to the Samuel Ryder Club. The Samuel Ryder Club is located on the grounds of Valhalla Golf Club. This high-end hospitality venue features a country club-like atmosphere, breakfast and lunch buffets, afternoon desserts and hors d’oeuvres, and a full premium bar. Ticket holders will be seated at reserved tables. Preferred off-site parking, shuttle service to the event and a copy of the official Ryder Cup Journal are also included with each Daily Samuel Ryder Club Ticket.

The Rules:
Only one application per person – duplicate entries will be deleted
You have to give your credit card number – this will be billed if you win a ticket but no charge will be made if you are not successful
You can buy 2 weekly tickets or 4 daily tickets if you are successful.

The tickets are sold through a ticket lottery by the PGA – so you cannot just go and buy one. The lottery will take place sometime in the fall of this year (2007) You need to register your interest (by signing up to the PGA newsletter here). Be careful where you buy your tickets as the PGA are the only source of authorised tickets for PGA events and they protect against touts and scammers ruthlessly. They recently released the following ticket alert:

“Ticket Alert!
The PGA Ticketing Center is the exclusive agent for ticket sales to all PGA of America events. If you have purchased tickets from any other party, The PGA of America is not responsible and will not guarantee admittance to an event if you purchase tickets from unauthorized sources.
The purchaser acknowledges that tickets and badges will be for the exclusive use of the purchaser and guests. The purchaser acknowledges that any resale, redistribution or repackaging of tickets is expressly prohibited, inclusive of but not limited to including tickets in travel or hospitality packages. All sales are final.”

Naturally the other source of tickets are from the corporate sponsors and hospitality packages but you will pay over the odds for these. The upside is that they often include access to VIP areas and hospitality tents at the event where lots of wheeling and dealing is done.

Alternately you can fax your name, mailing address, email address and telephone number to (800) 742-4698 or visit http://ticketing.pgalinks.com to register online.

As an aside – I heard a really funny interview on Irish National Radio with a guy who blagged his way into the Ryder Cup at the K Club. Despite the huge security operation, this guy donned a high visabilty jacket (the WRONG colour!) and jumped on a passing golf buggy with an imperious “security – I need a ride” the buggy then whisked him into the event where he wandered around and even penetrated the hallowed ground of the corporate hospitality suites! Just makes you wonder why we (the irish taxpayer) payed for all that security? If a determined individual could penetrate the event with nothing more than a coloured jacket it begs some questions…

Technorati tags ryder cup, golf,

Because of the confusion surrounding ticket distribution the organisers have made additional arrangements for the collection of tickets for any spectators who have not received their tickets via DHL.

Tickets can be collected at The Ambassador Hotel (Kill, Co.Kildare — Tel 00 353 45877064)

Collect your tickets from the Boardroom on the first floor. As always please ensure you bring the requisite documentation and identification.

Technorati tags ryder cup, golf

Well contrary to what has been said on previous articles on this site I just found out this morning that it is possible to change the name on your Ryder Cup tickets. You need to contact the Ryder Cup Ticket office by using their contact form on www.rcts.co.uk or by emailing them at names@rcts.co.uk. You will need to send the full details for the orginal ticket holder and for the name of the person you wish to assign it to (this includes passport numbers and full names, addresses and dates of birth).

The bad news I’m afraid is that having tried all contact methods this morning I still am awaiting a response from them. If anybody else has any experience with this, positive or negative, please do let us know.

Technorati tags ryder cup, golf

Well it’s getting to that time isn’t it? Team USA is now picked for better or worse and Team Europe will be decided at the BMW international open. Tickets are sold out as everyone knows at this stage. Tickets are like gold dust and the only way to buy one is to pay through the nose on Ebay (note the organisers say that tickets are non-transferable and security will be tight so check the status of the ticket before you buy) or purchase from a corporate travel company (note – one went bust over here leaving huge debts and no tickets, so be careful) or to enter one of the last minute competitions for tickets.

Here are the competitions that are currently running:

Ireland.ie – This is a competition being run by Failte Ireland just fill in you details and plans to holiday in Ireland

PGA European Tour – Give your email address and you could win a pair of tickets for practice days and all matches.

The tickets are €35 each and can only be purchased at the official site www.rydercup.com (finding the tickets is tricky so click here)

The number of tickets is limited and will sell out quickly so for those of us with no Ryder Cup tickets this may be the only way to see the teams in action on the Palmer Course.

The competition closing date is the 26th July 2006.
The Prizes on offer in this competition are very generous and include the following:

VIP Tickets (x 4 pairs)

• Win a pair of International Pavilion tickets provide standard entry tickets to the course including exclusive access to a private covered pavilion area, providing seating and two 100 euro vouchers to purchase food and beverages. O₂ have two pairs to give away (4 tickets).

General admission (x8)

• Win a pair of general entry tickets this September at the K Club, Kildare. These tickets grant access to the K Club during the Ryder Cup on various days (Thursday to Sunday as advised by O₂). O₂ have 4 pairs to give away (8 tickets).

Rounds at the K Club (x 4)

• Package will include the following: Brunch/Breakfast on arrival, 18 holes – two tee start complimentary golf buggy (timings of this tee start will be confirmed closer to the day) – 1 Golf Gift set for each winner (4), which include Balls, Tees, Strokesaver, tees, ball marker, course Marshals, Complimentary half-way Bar, Ryder Cup Gift champagne reception, three-course dinner including wine, event Hostess in attendance throughout the day.

Family day passes to watch Ryder Cup (x4)

• Win 4 passes to watch the Ryder Cup around Ireland
• Places include: Dublin (TBC by O₂), Cork (The Radisson), Limerick (The Radisson) and Galway (Cloonacauneen Castle).
• Family package will include the following: Large screen TV showing the Ryder Cup, barbecue, Children’s entertainment, free pampering for the ladies including head massage.

Ryder Cup Merchandise

• Be in with a chance to win the best O₂ Ryder cup merchandise by entering this competition. Choose from an exclusive range of merchandise, from O₂ Ryder Cup baseball caps and umbrellas to Nike holdall branded O₂ Ryder Cup sports bags. For the Ladies you can win an O₂ Ryder Cup white polo shirt or Tiger Woods Polo embroidered O₂ Ryder Cup and for gents win a Nike Polo embroidered O₂ Ryder Cup shirt or Nike Wind shirt embroidered O₂ Ryder Cup